Why we walk alongside our brain tumor community every year
My son Hollis and I shared our story at this year's NBTS walk in New York
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Although my son Hollis’ brain tumor, a craniopharyngioma, was not cancerous, we have walked alongside the childhood cancer and brain tumor communities through treatment, survivorship, long-term complications, fear, advocacy, and hope. The diagnoses may differ, but many parts of the journey are shared.
That is why we show up and go gold every September for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. This year, the weekend of Sept. 19-20 was especially meaningful for our entire family, as we planned to attend two different brain tumor walks together.
Hollis Horta’s sign was displayed at the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation Family Walk for the Cure on Sept. 19, 2026, in East Meadow, New York. (Courtesy of Sarah Horta)
On Saturday, Sept. 19, Hollis was honored at the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation Family Walk for the Cure at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, New York. His picture and story were displayed along the honoring path. Our whole family planned to be there, but medically complex life doesn’t always go as planned.
Hollis’ legs were hurting, and several of his siblings came down with a stomach bug. We had to miss the event. It was disappointing, especially knowing Hollis was being honored, but our family needed to stay home.
By Sunday morning, everyone was still tired, and Hollis still wasn’t feeling his best. Under different circumstances, we probably would have stayed home again. But Hollis and I had been invited to speak at the National Brain Tumor Society’s (NBTS) New York Brain Tumor Walk at Jones Beach in Wantagh.
We pushed ourselves to go.
A reminder of why we walk
When we arrived, the sky was cloudy and a light drizzle had already started. By the time Hollis and I were ready to make our speech, the rain had picked up.
Hollis Horta holds a white flower during the NBTS New York Brain Tumor Walk remembrance ceremony on Sept. 20, 2026, at Jones Beach, New York. (Courtesy of Sarah Horta)
We ended up completing the entire 3.1-mile walk in the rain. Somehow, that made the day feel even more meaningful and powerful. Survivors, caregivers, families, friends, and supporters kept walking together despite the weather.
That is why we come back every year. We walk because brain tumors continue changing lives, and we walk with the hope of one day ending them.
Before the walk, the community also took a moment to remember the children and adults who are no longer here. Hollis and I each held a white flower and released it into the water during the remembrance ceremony.
That moment stayed with me.
It’s not only the survivors standing beside us that we walk for; we also walk for the children and adults whose families now carry their memories forward. We walk for those still fighting, for survivors living with what a brain tumor and its treatment can leave behind, and for those who are no longer physically here to walk with us.
Next, it was time for Hollis and me to share our story.
Hollis and Sarah Horta share their family’s brain tumor journey during the NBTS New York Brain Tumor Walk in New York, on Sept. 20, 2026. (Courtesy of Sarah Horta)
I have spent years using my voice to advocate for my son, but Hollis is getting older, and his story belongs to him, too. Standing beside him while we spoke to a community that truly understands this journey was something I will never forget.
It also reminded me how much his own voice has grown.
Last year, during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Hollis was featured on PIX11 News alongside the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation to help spread awareness. His message was simple: “Stay strong.”
One year later, he was standing beside me as a speaker at the NBTS walk, sharing his story again.
That meant even more because our family is facing another difficult chapter. We are dealing with new medical findings, including acquired hypothalamic obesity, and Hollis’ mobility has declined to the point that stairs and other everyday things have become increasingly difficult for him to manage. We’re now in the process of moving to a home that will be easier for him to navigate.
Hollis Horta stands beside the message he wrote explaining why he walks every September. (Courtesy of Sarah Horta)
That is another reason these walks mean so much to us. We had plenty of reasons to stay home that Sunday. Hollis was hurting. His siblings were sick. We were exhausted. The weather was getting worse. But we still showed up. Not because it was easy, but because it mattered.
We walk for the survivors. We walk for the children and adults still fighting. We walk in memory of those who are no longer here. Survivors, caregivers, families, and supporters come together year after year because the brain tumor community understands how much is at stake.
Rain or shine, we walk together for the same reason: to end brain tumors and keep hope alive for every family affected by them.
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